ComplaintsforMercy Hospital

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Initial Complaint
04/30/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
On three different occasions now Mercy Hospital South has failed to bill the VA for covered medical services, instead billing me then sent it to collections. June 20, 2019, October 20, 2023 and October 22, 2023. For the June 20th, 2019 bill they forced me into setting up a payment plan in order to receive additional medical services and I had to pay the $985 balance out of pocket due to their failure to bill the VA, now they are trying it again. They have the VA's information on file, everything else from these ER visits was sent to the ** and paid by the VA. I have 100% medical coverage, no deductible. After speaking to the Mercy billing department today 4/30/24 they initially said it was my responsibility to call the VA within 24-48hrs. Below is the guidance from the VA: "Ask the provider to notify us right away in either of these ways:Through our VA emergency care reporting portal, or By calling us at ************ (TTY: 711)We must get the notification within 72 hours of when your emergency care starts. We prefer that the provider notify us."Mercy billing team admitted today the hospital must have contacted them since all of the other costs were covered, but yet they still sent a portion to collections.On March 26, 2024 I disputed the charges with Receivable Solutions informing them this is covered by VA and never received a response, only another bill.Today ******* and her supervisor ******************** have contacted the VA representatives at Mercy to try to get this resolved for the two current bills in collections. After 40min of negotiating and asking for escalations they finally agreed to at least attempt to correct the **************************************************************************************************************************************************** for the third time now, ******* admitted this has happened to other vets as well. I'm hoping this is an illegal practice, if it's not it really should be. We need your help please.
Business response
04/30/2024
please see attached letter
Business response
05/02/2024
4/30/2024
Case ID: # ********
Dear Better Business Bureau Investigator,
I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.
Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of our patients protected health information (PHI), which may encompass both clinical and financial records, we have developed an internal system for responding directly to the complainant in accordance with local, state and federal regulations.The complainant may in turn release a copy of our original response directly to the Better Business Bureau, at their discretion.
Please let me know how I can be of further assistance in the resolution of this concern.
Sincerely,
*******************************
Patient Services
Mercy Health Systems
Customer response
05/09/2024
Complaint: 21646689

I am rejecting this response because:

The response I received today contradicts the information Mercy billing provided to me on April 30th. They are now saying "your VA Authorization was not effective at the time of service" which can not be true since other Mercy hospital services billed the VA that day and they were paid. Again, they are putting the burden on the Patient/Veteran to resolve this when they were provided all of the required information, on the same day they provided the service, and they failed to (or more likely CHOSE not to) bill at that time. The VA uses ******** rates which are significantly lower than what the hospital tries to bill, so it is in their best financial interest to make these "mistakes" and force veterans to pay full rates out of pocket before receiving additional healthcare and/or being sent to collections, like they have done to me. This is an unacceptable business practice praying on those that have served.

Sincerely,

*****************************
Initial Complaint
04/25/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I had a surgery paid in full. I had a problem with scarring and paid the doctor to fix it. I developed a hematoma and was seeing the doctor for that problem. The doctor said he did not charge for that follow up visit yet Mercy Medical billed me almost $700 in addition to my payment of scar revision. I brought it up with the doctor and he again confirmed he didnt charge to see me for the hematoma. I spoke with the billing department and explained it to them, yet they kept billing me and put me in collections This is fraudulent and unacceptable.
Business response
04/29/2024
Good morning,
I have reviewed our system and we do not have an account for this patient.
Thank you,
Crystal
Initial Complaint
04/19/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
To Whom It May ******** On my last doctor's visit to the Mercy Clinic at *********************** 203 on 3/14/2024 although I was asked for my CIGNA insurance card, a $15.00 co-payment was not requested by secretary. After seeing my doctor, I thought I had to pay $15.00 and asked the secretary, "Can I pay my co-payment?", she said, "You don't owe anything." However, my insurance company, CIGNA sent me an email on 3/22/2024: "What I owe $181.00 (for doctor visit). Amount not covered. Because the provider is out-of-network, and your plan does not allow for out-of-network benefits". So, I learned that my provider is not covered by my insurance. I was shocked after visiting the same clinic for almost 4 years. They should have told me and warned me in advance that my doctor was no longer covered by insurance. I am wondering, "Since my provider is out-of-network, why wasn't it told to me clearly? I had two options: 1- I would continue to come to the same provider without insurance coverage. 2- I would go to a different provider within insurance coverage. Why was this hidden from me? I don't understand. It's requested money by Mercy Clinic due to dishonest behavior via email on 3/26/2024 and then 4/6/2024. The secretary did wrong. Now it's wanted to make me pay for her mistake. As a result, I can only pay $15.00 co-payment and I want them to close this case without further ado. If you can help to solve this issue, I would be very happy. Thank you, Sungur Ulus Email: ******************** Phone: ************ Mercy Guarantor # *********
Customer response
06/06/2024
To Whom It May ******************************** today, Mercy Hospital sent me an email which says, they did a 25% discount on my bill. So I paid for it.
Thank you very much for your kind help.

Best regards,
Sungur Ulus

Initial Complaint

03/22/2024

Complaint Type:: Billing Issues
Status:: Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

Date of visit with *************** 1/26/2024. Account #*************. I went to this doctor *********** as Mercy requires a visit once a year to keep providing ongoing prescriptions. Mercy is trying to bill for BOTH ***** Periodic Preventive Med Est Patient 40-64yrs for $181.00, and also ***** for Office/Outpatient Established Mod Mdm 30 min for $176.00 to my insurance company. I paid the $20 copay required by my health insurance policy to Mercy that day, 1/26/24. I have an EOB that the insurance company has paid actually both $170.25 towards the $181.00 (*****) and $62.61 towards the $176.00 (*****). My copay is $20.00, PERIOD for this visit. My EOB from the health insurance company shows this. It is unethical (especially for a supposedly Christian *********************** to bill for both of these items at one time and now trying to collect $156.00 from me for this. Mercy claims insurance is pending for $181.00, however insurance companies typically pay for one or the other, not both. Mercy is just trying to scam me, the patient as they are so good at doing these days. I need the extra code removed from my account for $181.00 as I do not owe another $156.00 for a standard doctor *********** required by Mercy in which I was not even sick. There was nothing new or abnormal either about this visit as it's the same medications I have been on for years.

Business response

03/29/2024

I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.

In reviewing the visit on 1/26/2024, the patient's insurance coverage had recouped their payment for the office visit portion of the claim. Unfortunately,the new payment made by ***** was not applied appropriately. This has since been corrected and the patient's payment has been applied. The balance for this claim is currently at zero.

Customer response

04/01/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

While the claim through Aetna had not changed at all and the payment paid to Mercy was the same as I had seen earlier, I am glad this is resolved.

What is sad is that talking to Mercy's billing department gets a person absolutely nowhere and having to resort to the BBB is not what I enjoy doing.

But since I cannot get Mercy to fix their billing issues when they occur, I will likely resort to the BBB each and every time Mercy chooses to bill me incorrectly

because it seems to be the only thing that gets Mercy's attention.

Sincerely,

***********************

Initial Complaint

02/03/2024

Complaint Type:: Order Issues
Status:: Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

I paid $1238.86 on January 2, 2024. I have called multiple times for a receipt. No receipt has been issued to date. Please email receipt to ***************************

Business response

02/05/2024

Good afternoon,

Case ID: # ********

Dear Better Business Bureau Investigator,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.

We have received the complaint and due to privacy reasons will not be providing further details. I have spoken to the patient and her concern is being addressed.

Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of our patients protected health information (PHI), which may encompass both clinical and financial records, we have developed an internal system for responding directly to the complainant in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. The complainant may in turn release a copy of our original response directly to the Better Business Bureau, at their discretion.

Please let me know how I can be of further assistance in the resolution of this concern.

A paper copy of the letter is also being mailed to

BBB
***************************************************************************************

Sincerely,

***************************
Patient Services
Mercy Health Systems

Initial Complaint

01/04/2024

Complaint Type:: Service or Repair Issues
Status:: Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

Basically, I was admitted to Mercy North on 11/20/23 following an automobile accident, this was a company vehicle and the company filed a workmen’s comp. claim, well the hospital continues to bill my personal insurance company to the tune of $14000.00 to date, after having been provided workmen’s comp. Information on at least 4 occasions. Following doctors discharge orders I made a follow up appointment with another Mercy doctor and upon arriving at this appointment I was told they would not see me because it was a workmen’s comp. case, I informed them about this prior to that appointment, thankfully I was able to find a doctor to see me and keep the process of recovery going. Finally, when I saw the neurosurgical for a follow up 12/21/23, again a Mercy doctor, at the end of visit when asking about movement restriction in regards to employment I was told “oh this a workmen’s comp. case I may not be able to see you again I’ll have my nurse look into it”, making the next appointment and stating that I would be informed if the doctor would actually be able to see me, so do I look for another doctor now?, I don’t know?

Business response

01/04/2024

Good afternoon,

I have also contacted the patient and left a message with my direct line.

Customer response

01/05/2024

Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:

Never received message as hospital stated, every time I talk to anyone there I get a different story, so not only do they lie they don’t even know how to run a business, what I want is for these people to correct my account, fix your mistakes quite giving me run around.

Sincerely,

****** *******

Business response

01/05/2024

Good afternoon,

I called and left a message for the patient yesterday at 10:57am. I then sent an email through My Mercy at 2:57pm. I still have not received a response from either avenue.

Customer response

01/05/2024

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: I’m sorry I did not even know I had a voice mail and have never been able to set up a My Mercy account because I’m just not computer savvy and was unable to receive help from anyone at Mercy with this. Mercy has my email if they need to contact me no more phone conversations because every time I call I get sent to this department or that department and nothing gets done.
Mercy has the information they need to fix this problem please just fix it and send me confirmation , via email, that issue has been fixed.

Sincerely,

****** *******

Initial Complaint

11/21/2023

Complaint Type:: Customer Service Issues
Status:: Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

Waited for Surgery for 3 months, was on schedule today- Arrived at Hospital and recieved a call that surgery was canceled, no back up Dr, no resolution- Advised to call back in 6 months to reschedule. Not Acceptable I have been experiencing major health issues for years and need surgery ASAP- I have rearranged my work/personal life for this. Was called last minute, with no empathy or solution- Mercy is a huge Corporation and I should not be treated like this. There should be someone else to perform surgery ASAP. I have called the office 2x with No Call Backs. This is unacceptable behavior.

Business response

11/21/2023

Good afternoon,

I have forward this to the doctor's *****************

Initial Complaint

10/24/2023

Complaint Type:: Service or Repair Issues
Status:: Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

My wife attempted to make an appt for me on my mercy to see my *** as I was sick. She did not have any openings so my wife called the *** office and asked for an appt for me to see my ***. She was told my provider was full. My wife asked about 2 other providers that I could see as well. She was told that they were full as well. My wife asked if they still had same day sick appts. She was told they did but she would have to call back the next day to get an appt for tomorrow because they couldnt schedule a same day sick appt for the next day. This is very frustrating! When I call my *** office, I do not reach anyone in that office, I get a call center that has no idea what they are doing. My wife sent a my mercy message directly to my *** and my *** said absolutely I needed to be seen and had her nurse schedule me an appt do the next day. Mercy has no care or compassion to their patients and make it extremely hard to get in to see my own ***.

Business response

10/25/2023

Good afternoon,

Please see attached letter. The clinic has spoken with the patient.

October 25, 2023

BBB
*********************************************************************

Case ID: # ********

Dear Better Business Bureau Investigator,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.

Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of our patients protected health information (PHI), which may encompass both clinical and financial records, we have developed an internal system for responding directly to the complainant in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. The complainant may in turn release a copy of our original response directly to the Better Business Bureau, at their discretion.

Please let me know how I can be of further assistance in the resolution of this concern.

Sincerely,

***************************
Patient Services
Mercy Health Systems

Customer response

10/26/2023

I filed a complaint with Mercy on their website on Oct 20 and have not been contacted by anyone from Mercy either by phone, email, or mail.

Business response

11/02/2023

Good afternoon,

Please see the attached letter.

The *** office contacted patient and explained that there is only a limited amount they can set up; however, the *** pushed through for him to be see which is an exemption and not a normal practice.

A hard copy is also being mailed to the address below.

Thank you,

*******

November 2, 2023

BBB
*********************************************************************

Case ID: # ********

Dear Better Business Bureau Investigator,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.

Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of our patients protected health information (PHI), which may encompass both clinical and financial records, we have developed an internal system for responding directly to the complainant in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. The complainant may in turn release a copy of our original response directly to the Better Business Bureau, at their discretion.

Please let me know how I can be of further assistance in the resolution of this concern.

Sincerely,

***************************
Patient Services
Mercy Health Systems

Customer response

11/04/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*************************

Initial Complaint

10/19/2023

Complaint Type:: Billing Issues
Status:: Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

Presently Mercy cl*ims I owe $3550 on the subject bill, which I think is exorbit*nt, *nd don't pl*n to p*y for the re*sons given here, *nd ****** - my insur*nce comp*ny - denied p*ying *nything on it bec*use "the di*gnosis is not covered due to incorrect code." I h*ve *lre*dy p*id Mercy $622 on this, which is f*r more th*n I h*ve p*id my dentist for the s*me result*nt tre*tment. To *void costly, time consuming involvement of * collection *gency, the Better Business Bure*u, etc. I suggest th*t first Mercy try to resolve the code issue with ****** to p*y something on the bill. Then consider wh*t to do *bout *ny rem*inder. Over * ye*r *go my dentist told me th*t my two left, lower, mol*r teeth were de*d, *nd should be removed bec*use if left *lone, *t some point they would likely become *bscessed *nd very p*inful, but *t th*t time I only h*d seven lower teeth. So I left the mol*rs *lone, pl*nning to h*ve them removed l*ter, *s needed *nd they c*used me no problem for over * ye*r. On the morning of S*turd*y, *ugust 26, I st*rted h*ving p*in in my left e*r. This got progressively worse *nd w*s extremely p*inful on Sund*y with *ddition*l p*in in my neck, just below my left e*r bec*use the p*in w*s m*inly in my e*r, I couldn't be sure it w*s due to *bscessed teeth. Due to the p*in, I only slept *bout 2/3 hours Sund*y night. So, I went to the Mercy Hospit*l South emergency *t 6 *m on *ugust 28 *nd g*ve them my ****** gold plus insur*nce c*rd *nd p*id the $55 co-p*y. *bout 9:30, I went to *n ex*min*tion room where * nurse pr*ctitioner st*rted to ex*mine me. I told her immedi*tely *bout the possibility of *bscessed teeth, c*using the problem *nd I repe*ted this 2/3 other times during my visit. She ex*mined me for *bout 20 minutes *nd left to get some test results. She c*me b*ck l*ter *nd s*id "We need to do * c*t sc*n of your he*d," which I *greed to, thinking I would be wrong to try to overrule the hospit*l st*ff. She s*id there were two people getting sc*nned *he*d of me *nd to be t*ken to the sc*n. During the w*it (*bout 45 min.) I p*id the $125 co-p*y for the c*t sc*n, *nd * m*n (doctor) c*me in, t*lked * couple of minutes *nd left. *fter the c*t sc*n/*n*lysis, the nurse pr*ctitioner told me "the problem is *bscessed teeth," *nd prescribed ***** for p*in, * powerful *ntib*cteri*l pill to fight the infection *nd * powerful *ntib*cteri*l mouthw*sh *nd some other drugs. The ***** pretty well stopped the p*in *nd *fter 3 d*ys I w*s well enough to m*ke it until my dent*l *ppointment on September 6 *nd h*ve the teeth removed. So using the equipment *nd st*ff they h*d they g*ve me the s*me result*nt "emergency" tre*tment * dentist office would surely h*ve done. *t no time during my *ugust 28 visit (5/6 hours including 3 1/2 hours before being seen) w*s I told *ny of the following. Mercy h*d no dent*l x-r*y equipment, *nd no dentist on their st*ff or on c*ll. Th*t's if the problem w*s *bscessed teeth it would cost sever*l thous*nds of doll*rs for Mercy to re*ch th*t conclusion *nd give *ppropri*te "emergency tre*tment," *nd if the problem w*s *bscessed teeth it would cost only sever*l hundred doll*rs for * dentist's office to re*ch th*t conclusion *nd give *ppropri*te "emergency" tre*tment. Therefore the costs of p*rt(s) of my tre*tment by Mercy might not be covered by insur*nce. Therefore before st*rting Mercy tre*tment it might be worthwhile for me to go to * dentist for ev*lu*tion. Then even if the problem w*sn't *bscessed teeth I could simply return to the Mercy emergency room. Mercy st*ff w*s or should h*ve been well *w*re of *ll these things bec*use I w*s not the first person in "emergency" dent*l p*in to go to the hospit*l (which w*s built *t le*st 10 ye*rs *go) for help. My dentist told me this kind of * situ*tion with dent*l p*in emergency is * big problem for m*ny hospit*ls/people n*tionwide. I w*s consi***ntly led to think th*t *s usu*l my insur*nce would p*y the v*st m*jority of the costs of my visit, except for co p*y *mounts, which I p*id *t the time. I c*n't prove the following *nd *ll things Mercy didn't do might h*ve just been mist*kes or oversights due p*rtly to being overworked but I h*ve h*d plenty of experience with this kind of tre*tment. This looks like lying by omission to get money. *bout 9/7, ****** sent me notific*tion th*t the $4590 - initi*lly cl*imed by Mercy h*d been completely denied bec*use it w*s incorrectly coded. I c*lled ****** *nd w*s told the ch*rges should h*ve been coded *s dent*l. ****** cl*im #*************** shows the Mercy ch*rges for my tre*tment with the codes Mercy used, *nd ****** denied e*ch ch*rge s*ying "Di*gnosis is not covered due to incorrect code." The codes on the Mercy bill to ****** *n the me*ning of e*ch code *re KO47 - "*bscess without sinus," Z20822 - "cont*ct with Covid 19" *nd Z87891 - "person*l history of nicotine dependence." I h*ven't smoked * cig*rette or cig*r for 50 ye*rs. *t this time (*bout 9/7), I h*d never gotten *nything from Mercy *nd i thought they would correct the coding with ****** but *bout 9/20, I got * phone c*ll from Mercy, w*nting to know how I pl*nned to p*y the $3550 bill - discounted for being uninsured which I h*d never seen. Bec*use Mercy h*d m*iled it to *n inv*lid m*il *ddress, *nd it h*d been returned to Mercy by the post office. So I immedi*tely went to Mercy's billing dep*rtment - since they didn't h*ve customer service in the hospit*l *nd expl*ined some of this to them including never h*ving gotten * bill. Hoping it would get str*ightened out. On 9/30, I received * bill for $442 (i.e. $622 minus $180 co p*y) from Mercy with no det*ils. So I thought Mercy h*d reduced this to be my tot*l bill. So I m*iled them * check for $442. *nd *s of 10/11 it is *ll I pl*n to p*y Mercy. Then on 10/2, I received the tot*l due bill with * billing d*te of 9/27/23 for $3550.60 which included the $622. On 10/4, I went to my dentist's office *nd w*s told "these *bscessed mol*rs were so b*d on 8/28 th*t the gum swelling *round them would h*ve been obvious to * dentist just looking in my mouth." The gum w*s so swollen th*t my dentist s*id I should w*it 2-4 weeks for it to go down before being fitted for * denture. * dent*l x-r*y ($200 or less) would h*ve proved the *bscessed teeth were the problem On 10/4, I phoned customer service for Mercy Hospit*l south *nd spoke to *nthony. In th*t recorded c*ll I went over m*ny of the points covered here *nd told him I w*nted the c*ll recorded to e*sily, *ccur*tely, communic*te with Mercy people. *nthony s*id he would repl*y th*t recording to Mercy people, *nd *nthony s*id he would h*ve Mercy cont*ct me. *s of 10/11 th*t h*sn't h*ppened.

Customer response

11/30/2023

In my 11/10 letter I *sked you to w*it to do *nything until I send you more complete inform*tion. *nd this letter, with references/enclosures, is such inform*tion. So ple*se go *he*d, *nd pursue this m*tter with Mercy, tow*rd the outcomes in th*t letter.

Presently Mercy cl*ims I owe them $2828, per the enclosed bill. So it *ppe*rs Mercy h*s reduced their origin*l (9/27) bill of $3550. Since I p*id the enclosed 9/27 bill for $622. But I still think this is exorbit*nt *nd don't pl*n to p*y.

This $622 is *bout twice wh*t ******, plus my cop*y would h*ve p*id my dentist, for the s*me result*nt tre*tment I got from Mercy. Th*t being p*in, *nd *ntib*cteri*l medicine, to hold me over, until my dentist could remove the *bscessed teeth.

*nd to s*ve time/effort l*ter, I h*ve tried to m*ke this *s complete *s fe*sible/needed, but concise. So between this letter, *nd my 10/11 letter, hopefully you h*ve the inform*tion you need. But if you w*nt something *ddition*l, I will try to supply it.

My problems with Mercy were not only wh*t they did or told me. It w*s *lso *bout wh*t they knew they couldn't do *nd wh*t they didn't tell me *nd knew I would w*nt to know.

They knew they couldn't correctly tre*t * dent*l problem. They knew they h*dn't even h*d dent*l x-r*y equipment for ye*rs. They therefore knew for ye*rs th*t Mercy w*sn't in the dent*l network of *ny insur*nce comp*ny. So no insur*nce comp*ny would p*y them for *nything they did for * dent*l problem. *nd/so if Mercy tried to investig*te/help with * dent*l problem it would cost me thous*nds - $4590 initi*lly, in my c*se. *nd Mercy people didn't tell me 1/2 hours before I went into the ex*m room. *nd they sure didn't suggest th*t if I w*nted to *nd signed some form relieving Mercy of *ll responsibility - I could do the following. Let Mercy give me p*in killer(s) l*sting long enough for me to get to * dentist, to check if I h*d * dent*l problem. Then, if it w*sn't dent*l, I could return to the ER.

*nd medic*l re*sons indic*ted my problem w*s dent*l, when I first entered Mercy. Bec*use, th*nk God, my he*lth h*d been very good for ye*rs, up to/through 8/28/23. This w*s well known by my prim*ry physici*n, for the l*st 10 ye*rs - ***** ****. *nd Dr. **** is in the Mercy he*lth c*re network. The only signific*nt he*lth problem I h*ve h*d is prost*te c*ncer, di*gnosed in 12/21. *nd th*nk God it h*sn't signific*nt *ffected me. *nd it sure *s xxx didn't c*use gre*t p*in in my e*r.

Wh*t Mercy did w*s expensive tests *nd * CT sc*n th*t weren't needed *nd didn't do *nything to help my dent*l problem. *nd *t no time did *ny Mercy person even hint th*t most/*ll costs for this would not be p*id by insur*nce, if I h*d * dent*l problem.

This whole mess is so bl*t*ntly immor*l, it infuri*tes me. Lying by omission to get money. So I *m sure it is better if BBB de*ls with Mercy r*ther th*n me who might lose my temper.

Mercy m*y not h*ve broken *ny *meric*n l*w but they h*ve consi***ntly broken God's l*w *g*inst me. By not tre*ting me the w*y th*t especi*lly import*nt l*w, being: "Thou sh*lt love they neighbor *s thyself."

God's words s*y, "but the Ph*risees ... g*thered themselves together. *nd one of them, * l*wyer *sked him * question trying him: Te*cher, which is the gre*t comm*ndment in the l*w? *nd he s*id unto him, Thou sh*lt love the Lord thy God with *ll thy he*rt, *nd with *ll they soul, *nd with *ll they mind. This is the gre*t *nd first comm*ndment. *nd * second like unto it is this. Thou sh*lt love they neighbor *s thyself. On these two comm*ndments the whole l*w h*ngeth, *nd the prophets." (M*tt. 22:34-40*) God's Words* (to God's/Christ's glory) here *re from the 1901 *SV Bible*, copyrighted in 1929.

This self-righteous, ungodly *ttitude is even shown by Mercy's response(?) to my 10/11 letter, *s shown in the three Mercy letters enclosed 10/24 Mercy bill. *ll of which I didn't get in the m*il till 11/1. Per my 11/10 letter to BBB, Mercy h*dn't even cont*cted ******, ridiculous codes they sent ******, per my 10/11 letter.

Here *re the obvious money re*sons Mercy did/does this. Hospit*ls ch*rge for their services, somewh*t like c*r de*lers ch*rge for c*rs. So there is room for the hospit*ls to give * he*lth discount to * 'big' customer by ****** is limited to the previously set ****** discounted price (p*id by ******) plus *ny previous set co-p*y *mount (p*id by the p*tient). *nd these insur*nce discounts c*n be very size*ble. I h*ve seen them in the r*nge of 25%-35%. *nd co-p*y *mounts *re usu*lly in the r*nge of $35-$245 (for outp*tient surgery).

So for ex*ctly the s*me tre*tment, *n insur*nce comp*ny plus co-p*y, tot*ls f*r less money to * hospit*l th*n *n individu*l would p*y the hospit*l with no discount *nd Mercy like *ll hospit*ls is well *w*re of this. So they prefer to bill *n individu*l (me) r*ther th*n ******. They c*n even offer me *n 'uninsured discount' (how touching) which they h*ve done *nd still come out w*y *he*d.

I went to the Mercy x-r*y dept. to *sk if they h*d dent*l x-r*y equipment *nd mentioned to the receptionist th*t I w*s concerned th*t the p*in in my e*r might be c*used by my *bscessed teeth *nd she immedi*tely s*id b*sic*lly, 'Oh ye*h, *bscessed tooth p*in c*n occur *nywhere on the side of your people in the medic*l field like this receptionist.

It is ludicrous to cl*im Mercy's *dministr*tion/st*ff is so ignor*nt of *ny/*ll these dent*l consider*tions. There *re two dent*l offices, le*sing sp*ce in the Mercy ******** complex. *s shown on the enclosed m*p. These *re South County Complete Dent*l C*re (***** ********, ******** *, *** ****) *nd Midwest Or*l Surgery (10012 ********, *** 200).

My dentist told me this sort of thing is * big problem n*tionwide bec*use m*ny hospit*ls *re not set up to correctly h*ndle p*tients with emergency level dent*l p*in. I guess th*t is just * coincidence. It couldn't be * w*y to m*ke e*sy money could it? No, youc*n trust * hospit*l to do wh*t is mor*lly right, right? Not by wh*t I h*ve experienced through 11/9/23.

Business response

12/13/2023

Good morning,

Ple*se see the *tt*ched response. The concern h*s been reviewed *nd the origin*l decision is m*int*ined.

* letter is being m*iled to the p*tient.

* copy of the BBB response is being m*iled to:

BBB

*** ** ********* **** ****

St Louis, MO 63102

Customer response

12/19/2023

Compl*int: ********

I *m rejecting this response bec*use: it is * l*ck of response. They *re the ones judging their own policy. On wh*t grounds is my compl*int rejected?

Sincerely,

*** *******

Customer response

12/19/2023

ple*se see *tt*ched file

Business response

12/21/2023

Good *fternoon,

This h*s been reviewed sever*l times by our insur*nce m*n*gement te*m, p*tient rel*tions, *nd our esc*l*tions te*m.

P*tient h*s been *dvised th*t he will need to self-submit *s we *re not *ble to bill dent*l cover*ge on hospit*l cl*ims.

Th*nk you,

Initial Complaint

09/20/2023

Complaint Type:: Billing Issues
Status:: Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

On 4/27/2023, our son was born. We have since received several bills from Mercy for this hospital stay. We continued to have one very large bill outstanding, that we called about at least 3 or 4 times before today to have resolved. Every time we were told the bill would not be owed, only to have it remain out there, where it finally hit collections. Today after another call to insurance and Mercy, we realized that Mercy incorrectly (and incompetently, I might add) billed the wrong account, which enabled it to look like insurance did not fully cover this. It has been nearly five months now fighting this, when the whole time it was Mercy's billing department's complete incompetence on knowing the coverage rules that caused this. As of now, I am still not completely sure this is resolved, but I require the following: -a complete removal of all obligations to pay any bills related to this stay from 4/27-4/30, no matter what insurance comes back with (because we should not owe anything) -contact from the hospital both to let me know they have seen this and to apologize for this extremely stressful situation that they 100% caused -any credit rating decline due to going to collections to be immediately resolved by Mercy, with damages owed if this is the case This has been the most frustrating, incompetent display of billing I have ever seen, that I am considering not using Mercy hospital for any services ever again.

Business response

09/21/2023

Good morning,

Please see attached letter and I will be following up with patient as well.

9/21/2023

Case ID: # ********

Dear Better Business Bureau Investigator,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond regarding concerns of billing/collection practices for clinical services provided to the complainant.

Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of our patients protected health information (PHI), which may encompass both clinical and financial records, we have developed an internal system for responding directly to the complainant in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. The complainant may in turn release a copy of our original response directly to the Better Business Bureau, at their discretion.

Please let me know how I can be of further assistance in the resolution of this concern.

Sincerely,

******* ********
Patient Services
Mercy Health Systems

Customer response

09/21/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

I will not accept until I see in writing that we do not owe anything. I would also like to add that it came to my attention after submitting the original complaint that Mercy double billed us. One bill sent to the mother of the child's (my wife) insurance, and one bill sent to the father (myself)'s insurance, "conveniently" under my wife's name. So it made it look like my wife received two separate bills when in reality, Mercy billed the same thing twice to two different insurance policies. And the charge we are disputing is the one erroneously (perhaps fraudulently, but we can let the law prove that if it comes to that) charged to my insurance, which never should have happened. Because the bill sent to my wife's insurance was fully covered. That should have been it, end of story. But the bill to my insurance was not fully covered since I had not met my deductible. And even IF the bill to my insurance was legit, which again, it is very clearly not, my insurance never should have been contacted anyways since in the first 31 days of a child's life, all coverages fall under the mother's policy. Mercy should have known that.

So again, I will simply not accept anything until I see IN WRITING that my family and I owe $0 for this hospital stay. $0. Because under the law and under our insurance coverage, that is what we factually owe. There is no disputing that. I'll let Mercy apologize to us and to any other families who may not have caught it at the time for the double billing they are involved in, if they so choose.

Sincerely,

******** ******

Business response

09/25/2023

Good morning,

This is currently under review with your insurance management team and is also on my follow up calendar

Customer response

09/26/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

That was an extremely insufficient response. It didn’t move anything forward. I continue to wait for a message in writing saying we do not owe anything, as that is what insurance has told us and at this point should just be the bare minimum the hospital can do for the most significant amount of inconvenience I’ve ever had to deal with from any business.

Sincerely,

******** ******

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